"What?" I asked, feeling confused. I had never heard of this before.
"I have a feeling it will be very hard to track down whoever did this to Kyle. Not just the individuals, but the whole organization. Even if we did, we couldn't do things our way, because they are shifters. We would have to drag them to the courthouse."
She sighed deeply. "All I really care about right now, is finding a cure for my son. It breaks my heart to see him like this. I don't want him to stay in a coma for a second longer than he has to!"
"Let's go see him then, Mother." I said softly.
"No." She replied. "You and I are going to go home and get some sleep."
"What? But…"
"The alpha is right. He decided that we should take shifts to watch over Kyle. Both he and Kelly are with Kyle right now. He wants the two of us to go home and sleep. It has been many hours since any of us has slept. I think it is already morning and the sun has most likely risen."
Looking at her as she tiredly trailed off into silence, I realized she looked years older than she had when we left home earlier in the night. I could see the bags and stress wrinkles around her eyes. While part of me wanted to fight what she was saying, another part wanted to make sure she made it home safe and got some sleep.
I knew that taking shifts was a good idea. I felt some comfort knowing Kyle was not alone. I couldn't deny that I was tired. The coffee from earlier didn't help; it was one of those cheap kind. I also knew that my emotions were all over the place. I was over-tired and strung out emotionally.
I sighed. "Okay." I agreed.
I took Mother's arm and wound it through mine. I let her start to lead me in the direction of the elevator.
"So," She asked conversationally, "How did you manage to lose the five adult male werewolves who were guarding you?"
"Ah, you know me…" I joked with her. We both laughed, until we rounded a corner and there, running towards us were the five wolves, who all skidded to a stop just in time.
"Speak of the devil…" I muttered in a whisper.
"Oh! Luna…" One wolf began.
Mother raised a hand to cut him off. "How about if none of you say anything to anyone about this; I won't tell the Alpha either."
The wolves all looked at each other quickly and agreed.
"We need someone to drive us home." She said.
After getting our volunteer driver, Mother and I exited the hospital and got in the back of the car. She got the wolf driving to open the glove box. He handed her my evening clutch, which she handed to me without saying a word.
I just looked at the black sequins sewn by hand all over the surface of the bag. I looked at it, but I didn't see it. Instead, I just let my mind empty. I felt numb, both emotionally and physically. I noticed it felt warm in the car and I could sense the motion of the tires on the gravel road. That was the last thing I noticed before sleep overcame me.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I opened my eyes. Where was I?
The walls were made of grey cement blocks, and high up were windows. It was one giant room subdivided into smaller rooms; like a maze or a warehouse. I noticed there was only one door in the room I was in. I tried to open it, but it was locked. I yanked and pulled on the door handle. It rattled and then… it fell off.
I stood in surprise, holding the door handle in my hand. Suddenly, the door swung away from me. It was open. I wandered through the warehouse, going in room after room. There was chairs, tables, desks, and abandoned equipment throughout; but the place was otherwise empty.
'Is this place abandoned?' I wondered.
After what seemed like hours, I found a room that was empty, except for a bookshelf standing in the middle. I walked up to the bookshelf. I tried to read the titles of the books, but they were all in a language I didn't know.
I reached out to pick one up, but my hand went right through the book and touched the wood of the bookshelf beneath.
'Huh? Maybe nothing is as it seems here?'
I tried to pick up another book, and then another. But my hand went through them all. Until suddenly, my hand hit a book that was solid.
I almost gasped in surprise. I let my eyes focus on the solid book.
'Why was it the only one my hand didn't go through?'
In an instant, the title came into view. Advanced Spells for human form transformation, it read.
I took the book off the shelf and opened the cover. The book flipped three pages by itself, and I suddenly saw blood- red cursive letters appear on the page. Only those full of grace, will be able to shift their face; the royal nobility- only have the ability.
'Wait…'
In my brain something started to shift. It was like somewhere, deep in my unconscious, a half- formed thought began to change. It began to open its smoke-like wings and transform into something else.
'Sam!'
'Huh?'
'Sam!"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I sat up with a jolt. Suddenly, I was wide awake.
"Sam." Mother said.
I turned to look at her.
"Did you hear what I said?"
I shook my head no. 'It was a dream.' I thought. 'It was all just a dream.'
"We are home. It's time to get out of the car. Don't worry, sweetie. You can go back to sleep in your own bed, where you won't get a crick in your neck."
I just nodded, grabbed my fallen evening clutch and stepped out of the car.